Maybe it’s the sense of nostalgia that makes The Alcohollys so damn attractive, or it could be the wave of relief caused by hearing real music in an age when the tripe that passes for pop rock lacks brains, soul and integrity. A clever mix of The Go-Go’s, The Cars and The Ramones, the Canadian all-female quartet surfaced earlier this year with the three-songs-delivered-as-two Flashback EP, and the thing that immediately hits home is how bloody ’70s / ’80s organic authentic they sound. Title track ‘Flashback To ’93’ is guaranteed to rivet fans of pop-punk to the floor thanks to the in-your-face delivery and what’s become their trademark synth backhand courtesy of vocalist Kimber Heart. ‘Death Riot / Demolition In Speed City’ is a slick mix of The Ramones and ’70s prog (seriously), ranking for the moment as the best track The Alcohollys have released to date. A matter of taste to be sure, but it’s an unexpected kick in the balls.

Released this month (December 2013), Girls Night is the second tease from the band as they (hopefully) gear up for a full length record. The title track is a straight-up punk ditty too smart for The Offspring crowd and somehow reminiscent of The Vincent Black Shadow, while the mid-tempo ‘Lock Stock Lola’ is a top-to-bottom Go-Go’s / Cars flavoured anthem. Biggest surprise of the moment is ‘Nobody’s Perfect (But This Is Getting Ridiculous)’ which somehow manages to channel the Foo Fighters yet keeps the brazen sunshine-and-happiness vibe that’s woven through all five tracks. Continue Reading

Over the last couple months I’ve been subjected to some unsigned bands that have done a great job of knocking me on my ass. Call this Round 1 of what will hopefully be an ongoing column on this site assuming the music continues to grab my attention as these folks have. Read on if yer curious….

Over The Coals out of Vancouver have started make a buzz outside of their regular haunts thanks to the video for the song ‘My Worth’, a track taken from a forthcoming EP. It’s my understanding that they used to have a male singer – YouTube footage supports this – but the addition of one Susie Myers seems to have been the clincher in terms of solidifying the band’s sound. First thing that came to mind when I heard ’em…. it sounds like Strapping Young Lad and My Ruin had a baby. Must be a West Coast thing. It’s impossible to judge them on one song, of chorus, but I like the sound of serious potential

Their name sounds like the house band at Arnold’s Drive-In on an updated adult version of the iconic ’70s / ’80s sitcom Happy Days. The music sounds like a mix of The Go-Go’s, The Cars and The Ramones. Yes, the quartet out of London, Ontario known as The Alcohollys are something special. Seriously something special, and definitely different. For the moment they have a small but loyal group of followers and, as of today (February 12th), one official independent release (The Flashback EP) under their belt. The Alcohollys also boast Kittie drummer Mercedes Lander and original Kittie bassist Tanya Candler as part of the line-up; a completely unexpected partnership when you put songs like ‘Flashback To ’93’ and ’27 Death Riot / Demolition In Speed City’ against the Kittie debut from 1999, Spit.

Mercedes: “I’ve only been in The Alcohollys since 2011, but the band has been around since 2009. Dana started the band with some girls that aren’t in the band anymore, and Tanya joined in 2010. When they lost their drummer, I’m pretty much the only female drummer they know in town (laughs). They asked me if I wanted to join and I wasn’t doing anything, so I said ‘Fuck yeah.’ I’ve known Dana (Hartman / vocals, keyboards) for something like 17 years, and I know Tanya of course from playing in Kittie. And we have out new guitar player, Bri (Lue-Kim), so since 2011 we’ve gotten serious about this band.”

Take the above description of the band’s sound for what it’s worth – in this office, that’s a lot – or check it out here. Bottom line is The Alcohollys stick out like a sore thumb on today’s rock scene and are better for it, right down to their stage names: Kimber Heart, Scarlet Fever, Ruby Pubey and Maiden China. Kittie fans and metalheads in general with narrow minds would do well to buy a can opener.

Mercedes: “I don’t think we have a particular sound compared to other bands where people can say ‘Oh, that band is death metal…’ or whatever. The closest thing that I think we fit into is the ‘70s power pop movement. It’s weird, though, because we play a lot of metal shows, so we’re obviously the odd man out. For instance, the last time we played Windsor it was us and three metal bands, but we had the biggest crowd of the night. I think the appeal of The Alcohollys to the metal crowd is the musicianship in the band.”

According to Dana, in spite of The Alcohollys’ modern day ‘70s sound – something one would assume most musicians on the low side of 30 would shy away from in favour of mindless pop pap or trendy death / black / oh-so-evil metal – she hasn’t had a problem finding musicians to keep the band moving forward.

Dana: “I find that girls are more open to playing this kind of music, something that’s more pop-oriented. Nobody’s had any complaints (laughs). I’ve always wanted to have an all- girl band but I could never find enough girls to make a full band, so now I’m living my dream (laughs).” Continue Reading

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